


Lanterns

by Snapperoni



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Celebrations, M/M, Time Skips, lantern festival, uhh i dont know what else to put but this is cute i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:28:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29722086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snapperoni/pseuds/Snapperoni
Summary: The Lantern Festival never seemed like something to make a big huff about- or so Tien thought. With a little help from Yamcha, he finds a bit more of an appreciation for the event.
Relationships: Tenshinhan/Yamcha (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Lanterns

What sat in Tien’s hand was a blank, fragile paper lantern. How he found himself to be in possession of such a delicate thing was odd, to say the least: for years, he and Chiaotzu wouldn’t even blink at the notion of watching the festivities that partook every year, let alone making and launching their own lanterns. But in the past year or so, Tien would’ve been lying to himself if he ever expected himself to be at all where he was right now- sitting on the floor of Kame House while the rest of his newfound friends chatted and celebrated outside.

Amidst his reflective thoughts, Tien could hear the front door of the home creak open, heavy footsteps steadily maneuvering their way through the minimal light towards him. In retrospect, Tien shouldn’t have been surprised to see Yamcha’s beaming face once he became close enough, decidedly making himself cozy as he sat next to Tien on the couch.

“Hey! How you hanging up in here?”

Even after one year of utter lunacy and life-or-death circumstances, Tien would still find the towering hurdle of simply talking to someone to be one of his greatest adversaries- particularly if it was Yamcha, who no less than twelve months ago he demonstrated what should have been unforgivable cruelty. Failing to think of any adequate response, Tien merely grunted a greeting, letting his thumbs brush over the metal framing of his lantern, feeling the wrapped wire ridges of where the oil-soaked towel in the center hung from.

In what time Tien was allowed to really get to know Yamcha, it never failed to baffle him just how patient and considerate the man could be- another reason why his initial inhumanity towards him made his stomach twist reminiscing upon it. To the rather lackluster response, Yamcha only let his smile relax as a gentle look eased its way onto his features, the moon outside just barely illuminating his face.

“Whenever you’re ready, we’re all outside alright? And take your time! Chiaotzu’s got us under control with the dumplings.” Tien couldn’t help but smile at that. Even if he seemed to struggle really integrating himself with the small group, Chiaotzu seemed to open up to them rather quickly- and didn’t seem too shy in sharing his culinary skills to prepare a batch of sweet dumplings for the group.

But acknowledging Chiaotzu’s ease to moving on from the hardened persona the Crane School had inflicted upon them only made Tien furrow his brows in confusion. How was it so easy for him? Perhaps his youth aided him in the transition into a healthier life- or perhaps Tien was just misfortunate.

The shadows within Kame House neglected to conceal Tien’s visible concern, inadvertently rousing concern in Yamcha as well as he tilted his head, his smile dropping. “You alright?”

For years, Tien was conditioned to keep unnecessary thoughts and feelings to himself, if not squash them entirely- and for years it was never really an issue. Having to move on from his old life however, that stone wall had made itself strikingly apparent as he tried to explain how he felt, instead finding his tongue drying in his mouth. But Yamcha deserved to know, or at the very least be let known something did disturb him.

Feeling Yamcha’s warm hand pressed against his bare shoulder, Tien couldn’t help but flinch at the unexpected, tender contact. “You don’t gotta talk about it if you don’t want to.” Despite the somewhat somber atmosphere that clung to the interaction, Yamcha couldn’t stop the smile returning to his lips. “We can just launch these things and you can head to bed.”

Despite himself agreeing to partake in the tradition once it was brought up to him, Tien couldn’t particularly fathom the importance of releasing paper into the sky. If he wasn’t able to talk about his deep-rooted issues at present, he was certainly capable of inquiring about the ceremony. “Yamcha, what even is the point of doing this anyway?”

To the curt question, Yamcha found himself slightly taken aback as his eyebrows rose a bit. His shock was swiftly replaced with a genuine grin again, starting to take Tien by the wrist and bringing the two of them to standing. “Ah, well- do you really  _ need  _ a reason? ‘It’s fun and pretty’ should be good enough, right?”

Tien wasn’t satisfied with the response. Staring down at Yamcha, he gave a disapproving look, a brow arching as he silently asked for a different answer.

Staring back at Tien’s hawkish gaze, Yamcha sighed as his excited attitude mellowed once more. Carefully urging Tien’s hand away from the lantern’s edge, he held it within his own, allowing his thumbs to massage the palm absentmindedly. Tien couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the careful kneading of his hand.

“...It’s also just a nice way to say goodbye to your old self, you know? Just kinda… let all of the bad things of last year go with the wind and start something new.” Stilling his thumbs, Yamcha clutched Tien’s hand just a little tighter as he tightened his lips. Removing his gaze from Tien’s hand to look back at his eyes, Yamcha met Tien’s look with a sincere stare. If he had any other thoughts to add to his new answer, he refrained from airing them, hoping that the implication was enough to translate the importance he found in the event.

For whatever reason it may be, Yamcha not only seemed to quickly accept Tien’s insistence on reformation but somehow seemed to understand his predicament. It was strange- both that Yamcha was ready to forgive him at the drop of a hat, but also that while he was aware of Tien’s despicable skeletons, Tien himself had no clue what laid inside Yamcha’s own closet.

Perhaps he, too, shouldered regrets.

Would Tien allow himself to believe that, perhaps someone besides Chiaotzu, someone was able to connect with him? To understand him? He wasn’t sure. But what he was sure of was that the strong hands cradling his own brought him great comfort. Had there been no one else at the house that evening and they weren’t in the middle of festivities, Tien was sure he wouldn’t mind standing there in the dark all night with Yamcha holding his hand.

Sighing through his nose, Tien unraveled his hand free and started his way towards the front door, only turning back to make sure Yamcha was following him. Seeing as he only stood by the table in confusion, Tien cracked a small smile.

“Well? You coming or not?”

As the front door was opened ajar, more moonlight seeped into the hermit’s home, giving Tien a proper view of Yamcha’s gleeful expression. Jogging after him, Yamcha followed Tien out into the beach, the cool air quick to nip at Tien’s bare arms.

Taking note of the emerging two, Bulma clapped her hands gleefully. “Well there you two are! What took you so long!?”

Oolong only snorted and rolled his eyes as he spooned a yuanxiao dumpling into his mouth, savoring the subtle sweetness of the red bean paste inside. “Pretty boy over there probably just had to fix his hair.”

There came a delicate sea of giggles at Oolong’s disparaged remark, even Tien finding his cheeks beginning to ache from smiling. Yamcha on the other hand waved his hand at the air, his hand pressed firmly against his hip as he feigned irritation.

As Yamcha rejoined the small group, Chiaotzu had approached Tien from the side, offering him a small bowl full of red dumplings. “I made sure to save you some sesame ones.” As Tien took the bowl with a quiet ‘thank you,’ Chiaotzu returned a smile- whether it was for his consistent gratitude, or the fact Tien finally emerged from the house, he couldn’t exactly say.

The night air soon became full of idle chatter and laughter, the clinking of utensils against bowls accompanying the harmony of wholesome jubilation. With the final dumpling having been consumed, Master Roshi cleared his throat to garner the small group’s attention.

“Alright, you kids ready to launch these bad boys!?” Picking up his own ornately decorated lantern, Roshi produced a lighter from his pocket and held it high enough for the group to see.

Cheers of confirmation echoed throughout the small island as the other inhabitants collected their own personalized lanterns. Finding even Chiaotzu had taken time to decorate his lantern with flowers and various food items, Tien found himself a bit overwhelmed at everyone’s colorful lanterns. Meanwhile he wasn’t able to think of anything to customize his own with, instead leaving the paper blank and boring.

Much to his embarrassment, Tien felt Yamcha looking over his shoulder to observe his unimpressive lantern, feeling his judging eyes criticizing the lack of décor. But in typical Yamcha fashion, he did no such thing- he only put his hand onto Tien’s shoulder and gave it a considerate pat. “Don’t worry about it, everyone needs a little time to work things out; there’s always next year anyway!”

Grace blessed Tien as he found an excuse to look away from his disappointed lantern to look at Yamcha’s- his own surprisingly lacking anything too complicated design wise. Against the white background, there laid on top simple drawings of deserts and half-finished cities- a wolf here and there snuck into the landscapes. Pardon that, it was for the most part uncolored and left incomplete- deliberately or not, it was hard to discern.

Finding Yamcha without an extravagant lantern as well let Tien relax his shoulders as his lips upturned, beginning to hear Roshi order everyone to assemble into a line to have their lanterns lit.

Now that everyone’s lanterns had become lit and had been given enough time to be supplied with enough hot air to start floating off the ground, Launch started a countdown for the group to release their lanterns.

“And… go!” Not a moment was wasted as the dark sky soon became emboldened with the residents of Kame House’s unique and vibrant lanterns, the fires within adding an additional flare to the already eye-catching designs. While most definitely unintentional, the mostly-white lanterns of Yamcha and Tien provided the most clarity to the lantern flames. Despite the duo having the most barren lanterns amongst the rest of their friends, the white blotches against the sky stuck out beautifully.

Tien had to admit- amongst the many other crimes Shen and Tao had committed against him and Chiaotzu, never allowing them to observe the alluring show of the Lantern Festival was certainly high on his list. It was a simple display all things considered, but the careful, dancing flames and the individualized lanterns added a special, sentimental charm to the whole event. Not to mention the serene and alleviating feeling Tien felt in his chest at releasing his lantern: perhaps Yamcha was right in emphasizing the importance of this activity, after all.

Watching the colorful lanterns gradually drift away into the sky was one thing, but soon enough Tien felt Yamcha’s elbow jab against his rib, his smile seemingly forever plastered onto his face. “Pst- you gotta make a wish, too.”

Perplexed and shaking himself out of the benign scenery before him, Tien looked blankly at Yamcha. “What?”

At his never ending confusion, Yamcha couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “It doesn’t have to be anything big- heck, you can even just ask for money or something. At least make a wish, man.”

A wish? What could Tien possibly want? He was never particularly materialistic, nor did he ever want any status or fame. Though continuing to observe Yamcha as he looked back up at the lanterns, closing his eyes to presumably concentrate on his own wish, Tien felt his heart throb. Prying his eyes away from Yamcha’s peaceful complexion, Tien turned his head back to the stars and shut his eyes as well, making a silent wish to himself.

He was certain now of what he wanted most.

The roar of the crowd bordered on deafening Tien as he and Yamcha shuffled their way through the village, the students of the Tenshinhan Style Dojo astounding onlookers and shop owners with their intricate display. The green lion adorned with red and yellow accents did well to attract attention as well as it contrasted greatly against the otherwise abundantly red streets. Walking through the busy streets alone would have been arduous enough, but it was another thing when Tien had to make sure he struck the drum before him according to the rhythm while Yamcha pulled the large instrument forward through the crowd. Every now and then, the large group would stop and dance for a shop or entertain passing children, offering shop owners with good fortune and in turn receiving their own in the form of small, red envelops blessed with small amounts of money.

Snaking their ways through various people, Yamcha squinted as he looked ahead. “How many more shops we gotta do? I’m getting hungry…”

From behind him, Tien shot him a playful glare, a smirk tainting his previously-stoic expression. “Only a couple more- maybe twenty.”

The groan that left Yamcha made Tien chuckle as he enthusiastically beat the drum, looking past Yamcha to watch two of his students controlling the lion costume stack on top of each other. From what he could see, the pair had found themselves having to "eat" a head of cabbage from the shop owner as the petite woman held up a red pole, the vegetable attached to it via a red rope. A sense of pride swelled within him as he watched the head student capture the cabbage with relative ease, the mouth of the lion snapping onto the head as it disappeared into the costume.

Lolling his head back to Tien, Yamcha pouted. “Can we at least switch? I wanna make the lion dance.”

Tien shook his head as the pair continued their march through the street. “I would have considered it if you bothered to show up for practice and  _ actually knew _ the beat.”

Yamcha knitted his brows at Tien despite a smile beginning to grow on his face. “What, you saying I can’t freestyle this?”

“I’m saying that I don’t need this going horribly wrong because you decided a  _ baseball party _ was more important.”

“It was mandatory!” But Tien just scoffed at his excuse. _ Mandatory, _ he says.

Even if they did begin to bicker idly about Yamcha’s priorities, they both knew this holiday was equally as important to one as it was to the other. Soon their playful bantering fizzled out as they quietly admired both Tien’s students as well as other celebrators, taking time to stare astounded at the colorful and flaring decorations strung throughout the village.

Tien choosing to build his home and subsequently his school high on a mountain hardly phased him. If not due to his already extraordinary human strength and stamina, then simply flying up alleviated any perceivable problems. Plus, it seemed to be a good additional workout for his students, the crowd behind him doing their best to complain only to themselves. Had it not been for the fact he could clearly hear his students talking merrily amongst themselves and joking about as well, he would have been prepared to scold them for appearing so apathetic towards the holiday and their performances- impressive ones, at that.

After he and his students reached the top, Yamcha and Chiaotzu not too far behind the group, Tien provided his students with a short, straightforward appraisal before sending them off to bed. Nearly three decades later, Tien still lacked the ability to fully express his emotions; while he gave his students a seemingly-generic ‘thank you,’ he hoped they would somehow pick up he really did mean it from the bottom of his heart.

Beginning to unlock the front door of their home, the drum held up in one arm, Tien could hear Yamcha cough from behind him. Once unlocking the door, Tien looked over his shoulder to find him with his hands on his hips, an obviously insincere frown present on his lips.

“What? You’re not still upset about the drum thing are you?” It was hard for Yamcha not to break his displeased face at that, instantaneously breaking out into a wide smile.

“Dude- _ no! _ Put the drum down, we still got one more thing to do before we turn in.”

Curious, Tien walked down the steps of his home and placed the drum beside one of the shrubs, crossing his arms and looking at Yamcha expectantly. “Alright, what is it then?”

Before grabbing Tien by the arm, Yamcha looked to Chiaotzu and sent him off with a wink, Chiaotzu then floating away into the house with a giggle.

Beginning to be dragged away from the entrance of their home, Tien couldn’t help the worried feeling in his stomach. He knew Yamcha didn’t have anything malicious planned- it was the fact that Chiaotzu seemed tuned in on it was the issue.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” If going off the blatant giddiness Tien could hear in Yamcha’s tone was telling of anything, he was willing to gamble that Yamcha had been waiting for this moment all night.

Soon enough, Tien found himself dragged into an open field, both free of any excessive greenery and skyscraping mountains. From where he and Yamcha stood, the moon and surrounding stars were perfectly nestled in-between two farther-off mountains that framed the scenery most excellently, smaller mountain ranges and plains lining the bottom of the horizon.

Tien had sought out the mountains for solitude, not to mention the rough natural terrain offered great opportunities for training. But for once actually observing the environment was almost breathtaking.

“Pretty, right?” Yamcha asked quietly, gradually interlocking his fingers with Tien’s as he shuffled closer, leaning against his shoulder and admiring the view.

Next to him Tien only grunted a response to which Yamcha chuckled at, nuzzling his nose against Tien’s shoulder.

_ “Oh-  _ but if you think we’re just stargazing then you’re wrong.” To the atmosphere-breaking statement, Tien looked down at Yamcha, who was looking behind them. Following his gaze, Tien found Chiaotzu rejoining the duo, a plethora of arts and crafts supplies entrapped in a teal glow floating behind him.

Briefly looking back up at Tien, Yamcha smirked. “Lantern time, baby.” Removing himself from Tien, Yamcha briskly approached Chiaotzu, offering a superfluous bow of gratitude before grabbing hold of the paper and paint as the other items were placed on the ground.

Unrooting himself from where he stood dazed, Tien knelt onto the ground next to Yamcha as the latter took a piece of cardboard and slapped a piece of white paper on top, already starting on a design. “Lanterns?”

Still focused on his lantern, Yamcha replied with a simple nod and a hum.

“We’re a bit old for this, aren’t we?” Contradictorily, Tien also took a large piece of cardboard and some paper, picking up the second brush and dipping it in some paint. He stared at the canvas before him and pressed the tip of the brush to his lips, beginning to contemplate what to put.

“Old sh’mold: who cares.” That careless attitude, even if it had its irritating moments, always made Tien feel at home- like even he was able to put his guard down for just a moment and act a bit foolishly and live out the robbed years of his youth.

The two painted in solitary silence, Chiaotzu having long since given the pair their intimate privacy. However once they finished painting and assembling their lanterns, the two stood up and admired each other’s craftsmanship.

Interestingly enough, their lanterns seemed similar enough to each other: both had chosen a white lantern, and while they differentiated in some sceneries, both had found that they painted a rather large mountain amongst their landscapes. While Yamcha’s lantern had a mellow desert that exploded into a colorful city, Tien’s seemed heavily covered with verdant forests and empty ranges. Yamcha, his lantern characteristically possessing different colors of wolves throughout the environments, and Tien, his lanterns being sparingly decorated with small birds. Nevertheless, the closer the landscapes got towards the mountains, Yamcha seemed interested in adding a bird here and there, and Tien allowing a wolf to prowl behind a tree or two.

Pleased with their handiwork, blush dusted on their cheeks at the similar details the lanterns shared, Yamcha bent down to pick up the lighter Chiaotzu left. Giving it a few playful clicks, Yamcha held up his lantern. “Ready?”

Mimicking Yamcha, Tien offered only a smile. Soon enough the lanterns were lit and let go to float throughout the night, the pair quickly falling into a comfortable silence and leaning against each other.

Wrapping his arm around Tien’s, Yamcha cuddled close and let out a content sigh, fluttering his lashes at the scene.

Turning his head to kiss Tien’s arm, Yamcha mumbled against his sleeve. “So… you gonna wish for anything?”

Meeting Yamcha’s gaze as he looked up at him, the endearing visual making Tien’s heart do flips, he could only shake his head. “I already got my wish long ago.”

Tien had seen Yamcha smile and laugh and grin and smirk so many times throughout his life, but if there was one sight he could never tire of it was to see his eyes crinkle and his lips upturn regardless. His chest particularly fluttered at the sweet laugh that followed as Yamcha further cozied against Tien, looking back to the drifting lanterns.

“Me too.”


End file.
